Improvement in conductors  ticket-boxes



UNITED *STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWARD D. PRITCHARD AND ELIJAH H. AUSTIN, OF NET YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CONDUCTORS TICKET-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,523, dated April 7, 1,874; application filed September 27, 1873.

VTo all whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that we, EDWARD D. PRITCH- ARD and ELIJAH H. AUSTIN, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Gonductors TicketBox; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,- and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure l is a side elevation of our improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a crosssection. Fig. 3 is a portion of a strip of paper containing tickets.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to means for insuring correct dea-ling on the part of railroad-conductors and others whose duty it is to collect fares on public conveyances; and it consists in a box or receptacle for passage-tickets, of any convenient form, so that it can be held in the hand, and so arranged that it can contain the passage-tickets for a trip or train, the tickets being' drawn by the conductor, one by one, as required, from the box, in their proper consecutive or numerical order. The box and tickets are printed with a number or mark which is common to both. v

In the drawing, the letter A designates the box, of an annular form, the annulus B being hollow and adapted to contain a' roll, C, composed of tickets printed on a -continuous strip of paper.l Fig. 3 shows a part of such a strip f of tickets. The boxAcan be opened by taking out one of its sides, so that one can have acr cess to the inte-rior to renew or to remove a roll of tickets. The outer layer of the roll is .delivered through a slit, D, in the periphery 'of the box, whence it is passed between two curved lips, E F, one of which, E, is rigid, and extends from the front of the slit D a little distance over the outside of the box, and nearly concentric with it, while the other, F, starts from the rear of the slit, and extends over the slit and over the stationary 1ip,in such a manner that the strip or layer of tickets within the box can be drawn through the slit and between the lips, the outer lip being connected to the box in such a manner, by a hinge or otherwise, as to allow a slight up-and-down motion,to enable the conductor to press it down toward the stationary lip, and thereby hold the strip of tickets fast between the two lips. The upper-lip F can be made so as to havea slight elastic action, and so arranged that, when no pressure is made upon it by the hand of the conductor, it will be out'of contact with the lip E and allow the strip to be drawn out between them, and when it is pressed down the strip will be held fast, andn the conductor can tear oi at the ends of the lips the ticket which has been drawn out between them. The box A is designated or marked with an arbitrary number or sign, which, in this example, consists of the figures 135, and the tickets to be placed in the box must have thereon the same numbers or signs; or, if a different number or sign, such dierent' number or sign must relate temporarily or permanently to the particular box in which such tickets are used, so that any specified roll or quantity of tickets being indicated, the box to which they pertain will be also known, and vice versa. This inutualdesignation may also include the conductors number or mark, where the conductors are known by means of arbitrary numbers or marks, so that any conductor being known the tickets issued by him will be easily identified.

The roll C contains a series. of tickets, forming a continuous strip,-i'rom which the tickets are torn off by closing the lips E F, as above described. Each ticket is to contain the usual information .proper for such articles, and the several tickets composing the roll or strip are numbered in succession from the beginning to the endfof the roll or strip, and, in addition thereto, each ticket of the roll or strip is provided with the said number or mark of the box, or with the designation which identities it with the box, as above explained. A conductor does not know what box he is to rel ceive for any trip until it is handed to him, and, of course, he is charged with 'such box, and with the tickets contained in it.

It is obvious from the above explanation of our invention that every ticket issued by the conductor from the box identifies itselt with the box from which it was issued, and that the number of tickets remaining in the box when the conductor surrenders it at the end of his trip or route will indicate to the book-keeper or officer receiving his ret-urn7 how much money, or its equivalent in exchanged tickets, must be paid over by the conductor. It is the duty of the conductor to give to every passenger one of the box tickets, and the railroad company is enabled by means of such ticket to ascertain and detect any fraud on the part of the conductor in issuing more tickets than he returns, or in issuing other and counterfeit tickets by inducing passengers from time to time, by offers of suitable rewards, to preserve and bring to the company tickets receivedion any day specified in their notice of reward.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

A box having a central opening to adapt it to the arm of a person, and having a number or designation, as and for the purpose speciiied, in combination with a roll of passagetickets having a number or designation corresponding with that of the box, substantially as herein shown and described.

EDWARD D. PRITCHARD. ELIJAH H. AUSTIN.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KA sTENrIUBER. 

